Proud Wounds and Door Panels

The images used to portray a proud person often share the idea of inflation. The proud man sticks out his chest. He is puffed up with pride or bloated or swollen with pride. He believes that he stands out above the rest.

I am speculating, but I think that this stereotype accounts for two other meanings for proud that came up on my last show.

The first one appears in the phrase proud flesh. When there is a gap in a healing wound, granulated tissue forms to bridge the gap. When there is too much of it, it stands out higher than the adjacent tissue. It is often discussed in horses, but it can occur in humans, too. It appeared in the book History of Fovre-footed Beastes by E. Topsell in 1607: “Vsed by Phisitians for taking downe of proud swelling wounds.”

Second, door panels can be proud. These are panels that protrude, that are raised, rather than sit flush with the frame. Traditional doors often have the panels proud. It can pertain to drawer fronts, too, as attested by the description from an antique dealer: “French-style side or wine table. Solid timber frame and drawer fronts, with single proud panel-front drawer with cast iron pull.”

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